Unpredictable NBA draft begins at the top, affects Bobcats

Wednesday

CHARLOTTE – When you select fourth in the NBA Draft and there’s wide speculation about the first three picks, it raises your uncertainty if you’re the Charlotte Bobcats who pick fourth, right?

Not if you listen to top Bobcats executives who remain confident they will be adding a talent player to their already-youthful roster.

Most NBA mock drafts have Kentucky freshman center Nerlens Noel going to the Cleveland Cavaliers with the No. 1 overall pick in Thursday’s NBA draft, but there are more than enough questions that would lead anyone to believe the Cavaliers could go in another direction.

Much of the uncertainty comes from the notion pushed by most league scouts and experts that the 2013 NBA Draft is low on immediate star potential and deep on uncertainty.

Just don’t count Bobcats general manager Rich Cho among the believers.

“I know everybody says the draft is weak, but I know we’re going to get a great player,” Cho said at Wednesday’s Bobcats pre-draft news conference at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Certainly, the Bobcats hope their No. 4 selection turns into recent standout picks like Tyreke Evans by Sacramento in 2009, Russell Westbrook by Oklahoma City in 2008, Chris Paul by New Orleans in 2005 or Chris Bosh by Toronto in 2003 – and not like previous No. 4 picks who have struggled like Tyrus Thomas (Portland 2006) or Marcus Fizer (Chicago 2000).

“Right now we have some guys that we’ve targeted at the No. 4 spot,” said Rod Higgins, Bobcats president of basketball operations.

Added Cho: “Every player up there (in the top of this draft) has strengths and every player has weaknesses. But we feel we’ll get a good player at No. 4.”

Of the top group of players, only Zeller worked out for the team, while the injured Len (foot) and Bennett (shoulder) came in for interviews.

Another top player, Georgetown sophomore forward Otto Porter, declined a Bobcats’ workout invitation and there’s much speculation he’s been guaranteed a top three selection – thus making his working out for the No. 4 Bobcats unnecessary.

While Cho said it was the prerogative of the player and his agent to decide whether or not to do workouts with teams, he was emphatic about the Bobcats’ ideas about such workouts.

“Our philosophy is to have guys workout with other players,” Cho said. “We want to watch guys compete. We don’t want to watch one on none workouts.”

Since Porter has been slotted anywhere from selection No. 1 to No. 8 in the draft only adds to the intrigue of his decision.

And while Cho said he expected to add a good player at “No. 4,” he didn’t rule out the possibility of trading away that selection.